Antenna guard



y 6, 1969 D. D. TRIMBLE 3,442,476

ANTENNA GUARD Filed July 29, 1966 F/a/ 30 55 F/GZ INVENTOI? DOA/A 1. 0 D. TIP/MEL E W W KM ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,442,476 ANTENNA GUARD Donald D. Trimble, Abington, Pa., assignor to Sherman Car Wash Equipment Company, Palmyra, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 29, 1966, Ser. No. 568,956 Int. Cl. H01q N18 US. Cl. 24843 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an antenna guard, and more particularly, to a guard adapted to be removably coupled to a vehicle in a manner so that a portion of the guard is telescoped over an antenna.

In the car washing industry, recent figures indicate that approxiately five percent of certain model vehicles have their antennas broken or otherwise deformed when processed through car washing equipment. Thus, the location of the vehicle antenna is such on some vehicles that the antennas get caught in the brush bristles and are broken off at the base adjacent the vehicle body after being washed. Heretofore, this problem has been solved by redesigning the car washing equipment or by taking extra precautions with certain vehicles. The former solution is quite expensive since it involves modifications of existing equipment operating in the field. The latter solution substantially slows down the vehicle washing process.

The present invention is directed to a solution to the problem which does not slow down the car washing process nor does it require any redesign of the Washing equipment. The present invention is directed to a removable guard telescoped over the antenna and removably coupled to the vehicle before the vehicle is washed. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an antenna guard which includes a tube connected to a base. The base is provided with means for releasably connecting the base to a vehicle with the tube telescoped over the antenna. The base is provided with stabilizer means for assisting and maintaining the base in a predetermined disposition. The guard of the present invention is adapted to be rapidly connected to the vehicle in the desired position before the vehicle is washed, and is capable of being rapidly removed after the vehicle has been washed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel antenna guard.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a solution to a problem concerning broken or damaged antennas on vehicles resulting from the vehicles being processed through automatic vehicle washing equipment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an antenna guard which is simple, inexpensive, reliable, and capable of being rapidly applied and removed from vehicles to be processed through automatic vehicle Washing equipment.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of an antenna guard in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention mounted on a vehicle.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG URE l but illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 an antenna guard in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention designated generally as 10. The antenna guard 10 is mounted on a body 12 of a vehicle. For the purpose of illustration, the guard 10 is telescoped over an antenna 55 forwardly of the windshield 14 on the vehicle.

The antenna guard 10 includes a base 16 removably connected to the body 12 by means of a suction cup 18. Suction cup 18 is disposed at one end of the base 16. At the opposite end of the base 16, there is provided a stabilizer means in the form of a bolt 20 threadedly connected to the base 16 and having an enlarged non-scuifing head made from a convenient material such as rubber.

The base is provided with upwardly extending bracket arms 22 and 24 interconnected by struts 26 and 28. The arms 22 and 24 are parallel to one another and are provided with apertures rotatably supporting a guard tube 30 preferably made of a transparent material. Tube 30 is provided with a boss 32 spaced from its lower end and rotatably received in an aperture in arm 24. A diametrically opposite boss 34 is rotatably received in an aperture in arm 22. Tube 30 is provided with an extension 36 below the bosses 32 and 34. Extension 36 is adapted to contact one of the struts 26 and 28 and thereby limit the range of rotation of the tube 30.

The base 16 is provided with the aperture 38 which is substantially larger than the diameter of tube 30. A notch 40 is provided on the lower end of arm 24. The radius of notch 40 is substantially equal to the radius of aperture 38. A similar notch is provided at the lower end of arm 22. Tube 30 is open at both ends.

As shown more clearly -in FIGURE 4, the suction cup 18 is made of flexible polymeric material such as rubber and provided with a thick base 42. A nipple 44 provided with exterior threads has one end connected to the base 42. Nipple 44 extends through a hole in base 16 and a lock nut 46 is threaded to nipple 44 above the base 16. These elements assist in firmly securing the base 42 to the base 16.

An aperture is provided in the base 42 of the suction cup 18. A valve seat is provided at the lower end of the aperture. A valve head 48 closes the aperture in the base 42 which is in line with the longitudinal axis of nipple 44. The valve head 48 is provided with a stem 50 having a groove 51 on its outer peripheral surface. Stem 50 is reciprocally disposed within nipple 44. A spring 54 biases the enlarged head 52 on the stem '50 upwardly, thereby seating the valve head 48.

Antenna 55 is supported by the body 12 and attached thereto by a connecting means designated generally as 56. Connecting means 56 may be any one of a wide variety of devices being commercially used. For purposes of illustration, antenna 55 is of the telescoping type and is illustrated in FIGURE 1 in its telescoped position.

The antenna guard is utilized in the following manner.

Before the vehicle is processed through an automatic washing device, the stabilizer bolt 20 is adjusted to a position wherein it will assist in maintaining the base 16 horizontally disposed or in any other predetermined position. The guard tube 30 is telescoped over the antenna and radially spaced therefrom. The suction cup 18 is attached to the body 12. A line extending from suction cup 18 to stabilizer bolt 20 is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Hence, tube 30 can rotate through an arc transversely across the vehicle so as to facilitate application of the antenna guard. The transverse angular motion of the tube 30 is limited by the struts 26 and 28. No external loads from the brushes are applied to cause such transverse motion. That is, the brushes exert a force on the tube 30 in a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and these forces are opposed by the suction cup 18 and bolt 20.

The vehicle is then processed. The brush bristles never contact the antenna 55, except for minor protruding portions if any.

Any forces applied to the tube 30 tending to unseat the cup 18 are opposed by the bolt 20 which stabilized the base 16 in its disposition illustrated in FIGURE 1, or any other desired disposition depending upon the shape of the body 12 in the area of the antenna 55. The washing liquid is permitted to pass through the tube 30 and wash the antenna. Such liquid will flow out through the notches 40 or the aperture 38.

As soon as the vehicle has been processed through the washing equipment, the guard 10 is capable of being rapidly removed due to means for rapidly venting the suction cup 18. Thus, by pushing down on the head 52 of the stem 50, the interior of the suction cup 18 is vented to the atmosphere by way of groove 51 on stem 50. Thereafter, the guard 10 may be raised upwardly for removal.

The guard 10 should be made from a material which is non-corrosive and will not be attacked by the detergents and other chemicals in the washing liquid. It is preferred to make the tube 30, base 16 and arms 22 and 24 from a commercially available plastic Lexan. Lexan was chosen due to the desired properties of high strength, toughness, inexpensiveness, non-corrosiveness, and is capable of being easily machined. Other materials having similar properties may be utilized.

In FIGURE 5, there is illustrated another embodiment of the present invention designated generally by 10. The antenna guard 10 is identical with the antenna guard 10, except as will be made clear hereinafter. Hence, the guard 10' is illustrated with corresponding primed numerals and need not be described in detail in View of the above description.

Guard 10' differs from guard 10 by utilizing a stabilizer means 58 which is concentric with the tube 30'. The stabilizer means 58 is a block of hard rubber connected to the base 16 in any convenient manner such as by screws. The block 58 is provided with a bore 60 which surrounds the antenna 55. The lower end of the bore 60 is preferably tapered as illustrated so that it may contact the connecting means 56. The tube 30' is connected to the base 16 in any convenient manner such as by threads. Thus, tube 30 is rigid with respect to base 16'. In all other respects, the guard 10 is identical with guard 10.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof.

It is claimed:

1. A removable vehicle antenna guard comprising a base, a hollow tube supported in an upright position on the base, said hollow tube being open at its lowermost end and accessible for the insertion of an antenna, a releasable connector on the base for releasably connecting the base to a vehicle so that the hollow tube surrounds at least a portion of a vehicle antenna, said releasable connector including a suction cup connected to the lower surface of the base with the open end of the suction cup remote from the base, and a stabilizer for supporting the base in a predetermined disposition.

2. A guard in accordance with claim 1 including a movable valve member in said suction cup for releasably venting the suction cup to facilitate rapid removal of the guard from attachment to a vehicle.

3. A removable vehicle antenna guard comprising a base, a hollow tube supported in an upright position on the base, said hollow tube being open at its lowermost end and accessible for the insertion of an antenna, a releasable connector on the base for releasably connecting the base to a vehicle so that the hollow tube surrounds at least a portion of the vehicle antenna, a stabilizer for supporting the base in a predetermined disposition, pivot means for pivotably connecting the lower end of the tube to the base, limit means on the base positioned to limit the arc of pivot of said tube relative to the base, said pivot means including upstanding brackets on the base, and members perpendicularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of said tube interconnecting the tube with the brackets at a location spaced from the lower ends of the tube.

4. A removable vehicle antenna guard comprising a base, a hollow tube supported in an upright position on the base, said hollow tube being open at its lowermost end and accessible for the insertion of an antenna, a releasable connector on the base for releasably connecting the base to a vehicle so that the hollow tube surrounds at least a portion of a vehicle antenna, a stabilizer for supporting the base in a predetermined disposition, said stabilizer underlying the lowermost end of the tube and being provided with a central bore which is generally concentric with the longitudinal axis of the tube.

'5. A removable vehicle antenna guard comprising a base, a hollow tube supported in an upright position on the base, said hollow tube being open at its lowermost end and accessible for the insertion of an antenna, a releasable connector on the base for releasably connecting the base to a vehicle so that the hollow tube surrounds at least a portion of a vehicle antenna, a stabilizer for supporting the base in a predetermined disposition, said releasable connector comprising a suction cup fixed to the lower surface of the base with the open end of the suction cup remote from the base, a valve in said suction cup for selectively venting the suction cup to facilitate rapid removal of the guard from attachment to a vehicle, said valve comprising an aperture in said suction cup, a stem extending through said aperture, a valve head on said stem, and resilient means for biasing said stem whereby said valve head normally seats across said aperture.

6. A guard in accordance with claim 5 wherein said stabilizer includes a bolt having a non-scuff head, said bolt being threadedly coupled to the base with the nonscuff head positioned below the base.

7. A guard in accordance with claim 5 wherein said stabilizer is fixed to a lower surface of said base and underlies the lower end of the tube, said stabilizer being provided with a central bore which is generally concentric with the longitudinal axis of the tube.

8. A motor vehicle, an antenna mounted on said vehicle and projecting therefrom, a removable vehicle antenna gu rd for protecting said antenna, said vehicle antenna 5 guard comprising a base, a hollow tube supported in an upright position on said base and telescopically fitted over said antenna, said hollow tube being open at its lowermost end, a releasable connector on the base for releasably connecting the base to the motor vehicle, the

and a stabilizer for supporting the base in a predetermined disposition, said stabilizer being mounted on the base and engaging said vehicle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,965,345 12/1960 Gundelfinger et al. 248206 6 3,191,898 6/1965 Mc Cullough 24843 3,224,716 12/1965 Eville et al. 24843 3,240,455 '3/ 1966 Swezy et al. 24843 r ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner. hollow tube surrounding at least a portion of the antenna, 0

FRANK DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 248206; 343878 

